Hemoglobinometer



' 0a. 23, 1934. v M. WHITI 1,978,096

HEMOGLOBINOMETER Filed Nov. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l AT RNEY.

Patented Oct. 23, I934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

Special objects of the present invention are to provide a simple, compact, portable form of apparatus, complete in itself and adapted for quickly and accurately measuring the hemoglobin content in the blood and for other purposes of the sam general nature.

The novel features of the invention by which the foregoing and other objects are attained, are set forth in the following specification and broadly covered in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification, one practical commercial embodiment of the invention is illustrated but as such illustration is primarily for purposes of disclosure, it will be appreciated that the structure may be modified and changed as regards this illustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a front or face view of the complete 20 apparatus or instrument;

Fig. 2 is a'somewhat enlarged edge view with the casing at the back of the panel broken away and appearing in section;

Fig. 3 is a back View of the panel with the parts mounted thereon, appearing as they do after th casing is removed;

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged broken sectional view illustrating the relation of the light source, the sample test holder and the light sensitive 30 unit or photoelectric cell;

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram illustrating also the general relation of the parts;

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the sample holder.

As shown in Fig. 1 the instrument appears from the front as a simple insulating panel or base 7 carrying an indicating instrumentil calibrated as at 9 to indicate hemoglobin units or values, a voltmeter l0 and control rheostat' 11 for regulating the light, a holder 12 for the sample under 40 test and a flexible electric cord 13 and switch, with plug 14 for comiecting the device with the nearest electric current outlet.

At the back of the panel the parts are covered and protected by a suitable case 15 shown as detachably secured to the panel by screws 16.

The apparatus is designed for A. C. operation and consequently the supply conductors 13 are connected directly into a transformer 17 mounted on the back of the panel as in Fig. 3'and having a transformer ratio suitable for the light source used in the instrument.

In Fig. 4 the light source is shown as a bulb 18 of the concentrated filament type mounted within a light enclosure 19 with its filament in axial alignment with an aperture 20 in the end of such casing. This light aperture may. be circular, square or other shape and is shown as bevelled down to an edge at the outside so as to cast no shadows.

The light casing is shown as a relatively heavy metal enclosure made up of an intermediate pipe section with caps 21, 22 screwed over the opposite ends of the same, the front cap 21 having the light aperture therein and the back cap being cut out in the form of a. ring to receive the base 23 carrying the lamp socket 24, said base being indicated as removably mounted in the end ring by a readily releasable bayonet slot connection 25. This construction makes it possible to readily remove and replace the lamp without unmounting other portions of the apparatus and also insures that the lamp will 'be replaced in accurately aligned relation to the light opening, it being noted in Fig. 4 that the lamp base has an enlarged outer end which shoulders at 26 against the end ring or cap of the case, which with the bayonet joint connection positively fixes the position of the lamp in the casing. I The end caps of the casing are shown as secured to the panel by screws 27 and as spaced a proper distance from the back of the panel by the spacer sleeves 28 on said screws.

The light casing is ventilated and cooled in the illustration by air circulation provided by a tube 29 extending from the light casing through the back of the instrument case 15 and a length of bent tubing 30 extending from the opposite side of the light casing through the front of the panel and protected by screen 31. This construction permits a circulation of air without shining the light out through the front of the instrument. j

The sample holder 12 is of special construction consisting in the illustration of a generally rectangular handle portion 32 socketed at'33 to re ceive the two glass plates or slides 34, said slides being of diiferent length'and the shorter engaging a shoulder 35 in the holder socket so as to bring the capillary recess 36 in the face of the same directly opposite the end portion of the other blade or slide. A bowed spring 37 set in the side of the socket opposite the shouldered side, holds the slides firmly engaged in face to face relation and yieldingly retained-in the socket of the handle, permitting quick removal and replacement of the blades.

The sample test holder is removably mounted on the panel so as to bring the sample holding section 36 of the same accurately into position over the light aperture. In the illustration this mounting consists of an escutcheon plate 38 on the face of the panel having sockets or recesses 39 of different sizes or positioned to receive the pins or studs 40 on the base of the sample holder, only in the relation indicated in Fig. 4, where the blades extending through the escutcheon and through the opening 41 in the panel will hold the sample faced to the light opening. This construction thus requires that the sample be always presented in proper relation to the light aperture and the co-acting pins and sockets on the holder and escutcheon act as a means for releasably retaining the holder in the proper position for the test.

A light sensitive cell or unit such as indicated at 42 is employed for effecting the control of the indicator and a special feature of this cell is that it is of the self-energizing type, requiring no batteries or external source of energy. Thus as indicated in the wiring diagram, Fig. 5, the sole excitation of the photoelectric cell is effected from the light source. This makes it possible to connect the photoelectric cell direct in circuit with the hemoglobin indicator by direct series connections such as indicated at 43. Across these series connections, shunts 4d and 4.5 of difierent resistance values are connected in parallel, controlled by push button switches 46, 4'7, operable through the front of the panel.

The light cell is shown as removably mounted on the back of the panel on a suitable base or socket 48, the position of this mounting with respect to the light aperture, depending to some extent upon the character of the cell. In the present illustration the cell is located at a distance of several inches from .the light aperture and alight enclosing cone 49 is shown as extending from the aperture to the cell so as to guard the cell against any reflected light. This cone is shown as having an opening 50, Figs. 2 and 4, in the side of the same to admit the end of the sample test holder.

Operation The blood or other material for test is taken into the end of the holder by capillary attraction. After turning on the light current as by means of the switch in the supply cord, the .rheostat is adjusted to bring the pointer of the indicator to the center or other initial position on the scale. When this preliminary adjustment is effected, the reading on the voltmeter is noted. The sample test holder is then mounted in the holder provided for it on the face of the panel, thus interposing the sample between the light source and photocell. The first shunt about the hemoglobin indicator is then opened by operating the push button 46. The indicator will then give a direct reading of the amount of hemoglobin in the blood sample. As the test is completed, the voltage is again noted and if it is the same as at the commencement of the test, it will be known that the test is accurate. If, however, the light voltage has changed, causing a variation in light, the test can be quickly repeated. The parts are so related and combined that slight changes in voltage which do not affect the voltmeter enough to be easily read, will not affect the photocell. The second shunt 45 controlled by push button 47, is provided in the present disclosure to give a value say three times that of the first shunt and is used where the reading obtained from the first shunt is les then the scale of the instrument. To get this magnified reading, both switch buttons are pressed simultaneously and in the illustration it will then be known that the hemoglobin content is the value appearing on the scale or a second scale may be provided for this second reading.

The instrument may be scaled from zero up, as indicated since the device is sensitive and accurate enough to read all the way down to zero hemoglobin content.

The complete portability of the instrument, its compact unitary form and freedom from batteries are especially advantageous, enabling the device to be carried about and used wherever an electric outlet can be reached. While shown intended for alternating current operation, it should be understood that the device may be designed for direct current operation either from service wires or from a storage battery or the like. The hemoglobin indicator is in the nature of a sensitive microammeter calibrated for hemoglobin values, such calibration being initially ascertained from known or standard hemoglobin samples. While particularly designed for hemoglobin measurement, it should be understood that the invention may be used for other purposes, such as colorimeter tests and the like. The photoelectric cell being self-energizing, requires no battery or external exciting source and no amplifier. The invention also obviates the need for special filters, water cells, standard samples for comparison, scales and charts for ascertaining values, or the like, enabling the measurements to be directly read without any complicating details. Because of its self-energizing character, the photocell is preferably placed close to the light source so as to receive all the desirable activating energy therefrom and when placed closer to the light source than shown, for instance, directly at the opposite side of the sample test holder from the light aperture, no'light enclosing shield such as indicated at 49 need be used.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus in the nature of a hemoglobinometer comprising in combination, a unitary portable case, an electric light mounted in said case, a light casing within said case having a bevelled light opening at one end and arranged with the larger end of the same inside the light casing, an electric lamp mounted in said light casing with the filament of the same directly opposite the larger end of the light opening, a socket in the case adjacent the outer, smaller end of the bevelled light opening, a sample test holder having a sample chamber and removably engaged in said socket, said sample test holder and socket having interengaging companion parts whereby said holder is definitely located by said socket in position with said sample chamber immediately adjoining the smaller end of the bevelled light opening, a self-energizing photoelectric cell mounted in the case closely adjacent and in direct alignment with the lamp filament, light opening and test sample chamber of the test holder, an indicating instrument on the case and directly connected with the photoelectric cell, a test instrument on the case and adjustable circuit controlling means associated with said test instrument and electric light for checking the latter with respect to the indicating instrument preliminary to or in conjunction with the sample tests.

2. In apparatus of the character disclosed, the combination of a sample test holder comprising test blades of different length and one having a recess in the face of the same at one end, a handle socketed to receive said blades and shouldered to position the blades of different length with their exposed ends in proper relation for said recess to form with the companion blade 2. sample measuring means positioned to be affected by said lightlsource and a socket for removably supporting said sample test holder with the sample chamber of the latter between the light source and the light intensity measuring instrument, said socket and sample test holder having cooperating means permitting the insertion of the sample test holder in the socket in only one position with the recessed blade toward the light source and whereby the sample under test is always presented to the light and measuring instrument in predetermined desired relation.

3. Apparatus in the nature of a hemoglobinometer, comprising in combination, a common support, a self-energizing photoelectric cell mounted on said support, a sensitive indicating instrument mounted on said support and directly connected with said photoelectric cell, a light source mount ed on said support directly opposite said photoelectric cell,a light enclosure extending from said light source to said photoelectric cell and including a wall at the light source end of the enclosure provided with a beveled light aperture in direct alignment with the light source and photoelectric cell and disposed with the larger end of the same toward the light source, said light enclosure having an opening in one side of the same immediately adjoining the beveled light aperture, a sample test holder comprising blades of different sizes and a handle correspondingly constructed to receive and hold said different size blades only in predetermined face-to-face order, one of said blades being recessed to form with the other when so held, a sample test chamber and a socket on the support in alignment with the side opening in the light enclosure to pass the test chamber portion of the blades to a position immediately opposite the smaller end of the beveled light aperture and provided with means cooperating with said holder to locate the same'only in predetermined desired relation to both the light source and the photoelectric cell.

4. Asa new article of manufacture, a hemoglobinometer sample test holder comprising blades of different lengths and one. having a capillary recess in one face of the same adjacent one end, a socketed handle receiving said blades and internally shouldered to position the shorter blade with its exposed end in alignment with the end of the longer blade, said aligned ends of the blades being beveled to facilitate the taking up of blood in the chamber by capillary attraction and means in the handle for firmly clamping the blades therein as described.

5. A unitary instrument in the nature of a hemoglobinometer or the like, comprising in combination with a photoelectric cell, a sensitive indicating instrument calibrated in hemoglobin.

--indicating instrument to an initial adjustment,

preparatory to use, a wall interposed between said light source and photoelectric cell and having a light restricting aperture in direct alignment with said light source and cell, a sample test holder having a specimen chamber in the end of the same, a guiding and positioning socket for said sample test holder located adjacent said light apertured wall and adapted to guide said sample test holder into position with the specimen chamber in the end of the same in close register with the light aperture and whereby afterinitial setting of the indicating instrument, the sample test holder may be quickly inserted to obtain a direct reading on said instrument of the hemoglobin value or the like, of the specimen in the sample chamber and a panel structure tying said several parts together into a unitary whole and supporting said hemoglobin indicating instrument on the face of the same, said panel structure having said guiding and positioning socket for the sample test holder formed therein and said regulating means being located at the face of said panel structure, thereby enabling all necessary actions to be performed at the face of the panel structure.

6. Apparatus in the nature of a hemoglobinometer or the like, comprising in. combination, a supporting panel having a guiding and supporting socket in the face of the same, a light source I mounted on the back of said panel to one side of said socket, a photoelectric cell mounted on the back of saidpanel at the opposite side of said socket, a wallon the back of the panel in closely aligned relation to the socket and having posed at the face of the panel and directly calibrated in hemoglobin'units or the like.

7. Apparatus in the nature of a hemoglobinometer or the like, comprising in combination, a

supporting panel having a guiding and supporting socket in the face of the same, a light source I mounted on the back of Slld panel to one side of said socket, a photoelectric cell mounted on the back of said panel at the opposite side of said socket, a wall on the'back of the panel in closely aligned relation to the socket and having a light aperture therein in direct alignment between said light source and photoelectric cell, a sample test holder inserted in said guiding and supporting socket and having a specimen chamber positioned by said socket in close register with the light aperture in the wall, a sensitive indicating instrument supported on the panel and connected for direct actuation by said photoelectric cell, said indicating instrument being exposed at the face of the panel and directly calibrated in hemoglobin units, or the like, and. regulating means operable at the face of the panel for adjusting the sensitive indicating instrument to a preliminary setting,

prior to the insertion of the sample test holder into the socket provided therefor.

MILTON WHITE. 

